LeBron James was ruled out against the Milwaukee Bucks and Anthony Davis suffered a shoulder injury that hampered him in the second half, so a Lakers Friday’s victory was far from a foregone conclusion.
As the Lakers searched for offensive answers, D’Angelo Russell rose to the challenge. He finished the night with a 44-point performance, his best as a Laker, including the winning basket on Dame Lillard with just 5.9 seconds left.
The game winner was nice, but the fourth quarter performance was a real treat. Russell had a Kobe Bryant-esque closing 12 minutes, scoring 21 points on 8-11 shooting from the field. He converted on four of his nine 3-pointers and hit three the hard way, getting fouled and converting the free throw to make it a one-point game.
Russell followed this play with his winning goal and after Spencer Dinwiddie’s incredible block on Lillardthe Lakers came out of this battle with victory in hand.
After the game, Darvin Ham praised Russell’s aggression, which they discussed during the first half.
“It’s D-Lo, man,” Ham said. “Just playing the game, constantly thinking about the game. He kept his word when I told him to get back into the game. I told him in the first half, ‘Stay aggressive. I need you to be aggressive the whole time night.’ And he did that. The communication was at such a high level, just everyone was communicating. All the guys that played, all the guys that maybe didn’t play, the guys that are on the roster from the inactives, everyone just got involved, the energy on the bench. It was supreme.
Supreme is a great way to describe the team’s effort and Russell’s performance. D-Lo himself had some disjointed post-match quotes describing public humiliation as something that shaped him, but one should expect nothing less from Russell.
THE the audacity of D-Lo is something to marvel at. He’s playing his best basketball ever in a Lakers uniform and when he gets into his flow state, it’s a sight to behold.
The Lakers will need Russell to stay aggressive and Ham has already mentioned how they I need him to succeed. With LeBron missing the game against the Bucks, that was certainly true and with Anthony Davis struggles with shoulder painRussell might be the best player still relatively healthy.
The good news is, he’s never been more ready to step into the City of Angels spotlight and shine. I expect more games like this from Russell as the season reaches its peak.
You can follow Edwin on Twitter at @ECreates88.
